National 5 Chemistry exam date 2027

In 2027 the National 5 Chemistry question paper is on Friday 21 May, from 13:00 to 15:00. It is one paper of 2 hours in two sections.

Weeks before the question paper

Hours a week for chemistry

Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding

Section 2: Formulae and the mole

Section 3: Acids and bases

Section 4: Hydrocarbons

Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels

Section 6: Metals and plastics

Section 7: Fertilisers, nuclear chemistry and analysis

26 weeks, 104 hours in all

Start with Section 1

Rates, atoms and bonding: 14.4 of your hours. It is 3 of the 20 questions on our Section 1 practice papers, 15%.

Hours per section
Section	Your hours	Share of the papers
Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding	14.4	15%
Section 2: Formulae and the mole	14.4	15%
Section 3: Acids and bases	14.4	15%
Section 4: Hydrocarbons	14.4	15%
Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels	14.4	15%
Section 6: Metals and plastics	14.4	15%
Section 7: Fertilisers, nuclear chemistry and analysis	9.6	10%

Week by week

Week 1Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding
Week 2Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding
Week 3Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding
Week 4Section 1: Rates, atoms and bonding, Section 2: Formulae and the mole
Week 5Section 2: Formulae and the mole
Week 6Section 2: Formulae and the mole
Week 7Section 2: Formulae and the mole
Week 8Section 2: Formulae and the mole, Section 3: Acids and bases
Week 9Section 3: Acids and bases
Week 10Section 3: Acids and bases
Week 11Section 3: Acids and bases, Section 4: Hydrocarbons
Week 12Section 4: Hydrocarbons
Week 13Section 4: Hydrocarbons
Week 14Section 4: Hydrocarbons
Week 15Section 4: Hydrocarbons, Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels
Week 16Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels
Week 17Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels
Week 18Section 5: Alcohols, carboxylic acids and fuels
Week 19Section 6: Metals and plastics
Week 20Section 6: Metals and plastics
Week 21Section 6: Metals and plastics
Week 22Section 6: Metals and plastics, Section 7: Fertilisers, nuclear chemistry and analysis
Week 23Section 7: Fertilisers, nuclear chemistry and analysis
Week 24Section 7: Fertilisers, nuclear chemistry and analysis
Week 25A timed Section 1 practice paper and two Section 2 questions, then review every lost mark
Week 26A timed Section 1 practice paper and two Section 2 questions, then review every lost mark

Check your sections with the free test

Date	Friday 21 May 2027
Time	13:00 to 15:00
Length	2 hours, 80 marks
Data booklet	Provided

Planning back from 21 May

Put the planner below to work: tell it how many weeks are left and how sure you are of each section, and it splits your hours by section and keeps the last weeks for timed Section 1 practice and Section 2 questions.

Using the 2 hours

At 80 marks in 120 minutes you have a minute and a half a mark. Our advice: about 30 minutes for the 20 multiple-choice questions in Section 1, which leaves about an hour and a half for the 60 marks of Section 2, with time at the end to check your calculations and units.

Try 2 questions

Question 1

Titration results.
Titration	Titre / cm³
Rough	24.3
1	23.6
2	23.5
3	23.9

A pupil carries out a rough titration and then three more. The titres are shown in the table. Titres within 0.2 cm³ of each other are concordant. Which average titre should the pupil use to calculate the concentration?

Question 2

Temperatures before and after four reactions.
Chemicals mixed	Start / °C	End / °C
sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid	19	26.5
magnesium ribbon and dilute sulfuric acid	20	31
citric acid and sodium hydrogencarbonate	20	14.5
zinc powder and copper(II) sulfate solution	19.5	24

A pupil mixes four pairs of chemicals and measures the temperature before and after each reaction. Which reaction is endothermic?

Next step

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Questions people ask

When is the National 5 Chemistry exam in 2027?

Friday 21 May 2027, from 13:00 to 15:00.

How long is the exam?

2 hours for 80 marks: Section 1 (20 marks) and Section 2 (60 marks).